


Queen

by ibelieveinpluto



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, IPRE is one big happy family, Stolen Century arc, catcalling, dadenport, god im gay for lucretia, lucretia has anxiety bc i do too, lucretia taking little steps to combat anxiety!!!! i love!!!, lup says fuck, oops i projected my own problems into this too much, somewhat ooc?? idk, take a shot every time one of these tags has "anxiety" in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 04:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13000203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibelieveinpluto/pseuds/ibelieveinpluto
Summary: "Come on, babe, what's a queen without her king?"Lucretia didn't even look up from her journal. Not like she wanted to, but she didn't, and that made it even better.





	Queen

Magnus and Merle were IPRE's resident tavern scouters.

 

If you wanted a certain drink, flavor, et cetera, they would search the entire plane to get you to the perfect bar. Which meant, once their skill was discovered, the rest of the team used it to their advantage. Most of them drank, but sometimes Barry or the twins accompanied Lucretia away from the island counters and helped her feel welcome in the loud, chaotic elements crowds of drunk people brought with them.

 

Lucretia wasn't quick to talk about it, but stressful situations made her panic. Not normal, "oh geez this sucks" panic, but hyperventilating, fainting, crying panic. Anxiety attacks were common for her, especially in the first few cycles. The rest of the crew didn't know about them until around the twentieth cycle, to which nobody decided was the most distressing thing they had heard.

 

"Okay?" Taako had said, sitting down next to Lucretia, who was shaking with the anxiety talking about her anxiety brought. "You're still Lucretia, panicking or not, so I think that's a plus. What do you need us to do to help you out, girlie?"

 

Back on topic, helping her manage her nerves was exactly what the crew tried to do without excluding her from other activities. See: bar drinking. Lucretia found that she could sit close to the extroverts of the IPRE without being  _too_ close and still be a part of their conversations while writing any information she might need for later at the same time. 

 

One particular cycle - forty-six, forty-seven? - Merle had mentioned a small dinky bar that was rarely ever busy, so the seven could go in and relax without a gigantic incident. Lucretia silently thanked whatever deity controlled fate, because she was feeling a little less ready for a Big Loud Time than usual. As the dwarf promised, the bar was, in fact, small and dinky. Only a bartender and a drunk man were there, and the bartender seemed more than happy to have new customers.

 

Lucretia sat at the counter on the end, drinking a soda (full bars were a blessing) and scribbling in her journal about whatever interesting topics came up in conversation. The city they were in had so many interesting festivals and ceremonies, Lucretia found herself lost in the bartender's expert descriptions of the Annual Daisylee Parade.

 

"Hey, cutie," the drunk man called out quite suddenly. The whole crew averted their attention to him, except for Lucretia. She was busy writing. Magnus jokingly raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself, mouthing a over-exaggerated "me?". The inebriate shook his head, pointing at the woman with short curled hair covering her face - Lucretia. "That one. 'sshe mute?"

 

"No, she's not. She just doesn't want to talk to a peasant like you." Lup hopped off her barstool, a kind of unnecessary gesture because, standing or sitting, she was scary as hell.

 

"A queen, huh? Come on, babe, what's a queen without her king?"

 

Lucretia was silent for a few moments after he spoke. She wanted to stand up for herself. What was the worst thing that could happen? It was seven to one, maybe eight if the bartender liked them enough.  _You only have so much time here, anyway,_ she thought,  _fight back._

 

Lucretia didn't even look up from her journal. Not like she wanted to, but she didn't, and that made it even better.

 

"Historically, better."

 

Her voice shook and she was nearly crying but she said it. He was silent. The bartender was silent. Everyone was silent.

 

"Holy  _fucking shit!"_ Lup burst into laughter, deep belly laughs that forced her to sit back down in her chair. The rest of the team followed suit, laughing so hard that it was hard to hear the bartender tell the drunk that that was his cue to leave. 

 

"I'm going to think about that for the rest of my life," Barry said from the other end of the counter in between giggles, "and I'm not even angry about it."

 

Lucretia laughed too, some tears squeezing themselves out of her eyes. She wiped them away quickly as the group packed up and said their goodbyes to the bartender, who profusely apologized for the man's behavior.

 

Lucretia pushed herself to the middle of the seven as they walked, smiling along to the somewhat tipsy conversation. A hand on her shoulder made her stop and turn around, falling behind the rest of the group with the captain, Davenport.

 

"I got a little nervous for you back there," he said, struggling to keep up with Lucretia's long strides as they began walking again.

 

"I got nervous for me too," Lucretia replied, doing her best to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, one that she got thinking back on situations that sent her into an attack.

 

"I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself there," the gnome grabbed the scribe's elbow (the highest he could reach while still being comfortable) and smiled warmly, a rare sight for the serious man. "That's not easy to do, not for anyone."

 

"Mmm, it was because you guys were there. I mean, I'm proud of myself too, but I wouldn't have been able to do that alone."

 

"That's what we're here for. We're family now, pretty much." Davenport let go of her arm and walked ahead, leaving Lucretia to lag behind for a few moments.

 

"Thanks, Dad," she joked, smirking at the playful glare the captain sent her.  _Family._ She liked that.

**Author's Note:**

> im gay for lucretia and i have anxiety, can you tell
> 
> anyway i had a really bad day so writing this fic helped a lot?? its my first taz fic and actually first fic overall so fuck me for real okay
> 
> how do i write characters,, feedback is really appreciated blease


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